The Butterfly Effect
by Mistress of Azure
Summary: AU: One small choice can change everything and every change is a chance for another story and a new ending. The world of Naruto, but where things started out a bit different.


...well don't look at _me_.

Okay, you can look at me. I'm really sorry for this...no I'm not. XD Anyway, I actually had a dream about this happening and that's how it started. It occured to me how easy it would be to alter the entire series with just a few small changes in the character's background. Enjoy?

* * *

"Here you go, Sasuke, your lunch. Have fun at shuriken practice. I'll see you when you get home!" Mikoto smiled as she handed her youngest son the lunch she had prepared for him. Sasuke stood up and smiled back at her as he took the box.

"It's not practice, it's training," he playfully corrected her as he headed out of the room. Grabbing his bag from the hall closet, he shoved the lunchbox inside and slipped on his shoes before heading out. "I'm leaving!" he called back as he closed the door behind him. _'Thank goodness,'_ Sasuke thought as he ran down the street. _'Tou-san doesn't really hate Nii-san…'_

Throughout the day at the academy he couldn't keep his mind off of what his father had said and all that his brother had accomplished. That afternoon while he practiced shuriken throws with the class, he went over it all in his mind. _'My brother graduated at the top of his class at the age of seven and graduated to chuunin at age ten. What's more, he had already activated his sharingan by age eight.'_ Sasuke faltered for a moment as he recalled what his father had told him about the sharingan that morning. _'"It's too early for you yet."'_ Sasuke could hear his father's words. _'But why is it too early for me? It wasn't too early for Itachi…Is this what he meant when he said, "don't follow your brother's path"? Does he…not want me to succeed?'_

"HEY, WATCH IT UCHIHA!" Sasuke jumped as he realized his last throw had his shuriken embedded in a log five feet from his own, just inches above the head of Inuzuka Kiba who had gone to retrieve his spent weapons.

"S-sorry!" Sasuke blushed in embarrassment. He couldn't allow himself to be distracted. Itachi never made simple mistakes like that. Grabbing a new shuriken, he focused on the target in front of him, but despite his best efforts, he couldn't stop thinking about the things his father had said. He glared at the log in front of him and peppered the wood with his throwing stars. _'The sharingan is the greatest tool of our clan. Nii-san was already learning it at my age. Why can't I learn about it too? Tou-san taught Nii-san everything he knew, but he's never had time to teach me anything…'_ His thoughts trailed off at this. _'No, that's not true…Tou-san taught me the Katon Gokakyu.'_ Sasuke felt a little welling of pride in his chest as he recalled the experience. _'He taught me that move himself, didn't he? And he was proud of me. Maybe…maybe he'll teach me some more moves too. Yeah…maybe if I show him that I'm willing to learn, he'll see that I _am_ ready!'_

After the class was over Sasuke rushed to gather his shuriken. Ordinarily, he would have stayed later than anyone else to practice, but tonight he wanted to get home early. He wanted to ask his father about teaching him some new techniques. Maybe they could even start practicing that night! Sasuke smiled to himself as he imagined him and his father training together. _'I'll definitely show him,' _Sasuke thought as he headed towards home, _'That I can be a great ninja like Itachi too!'_

1-2-3

Something was wrong. It didn't take Sasuke long to realize this as he entered the Uchiha compound. He glanced around nervously, trying to figure out what was amiss. It hit him suddenly. The sun was sinking quickly towards the horizon and the moon was visible against the darkening sky. Lamps along the main road had begun flickering into life, and yet, within the gates of the Uchiha compound, there was not a light to be seen. Sasuke frowned. By this time it was dark enough that one needed to turn on a light to see properly, but the boy could see not a single glow from any window. It certainly was far too early for everyone to have gone to bed…

Sasuke quickened his pace towards home. There was something else wrong…not a single person in sight. No people milling about, no one on their way home or visiting neighbors…all the doors seemed to be closed and silence filled the compound like an almost tangible presence. Sasuke ran up to a house nearby and stood on tiptoe to peer in the open window, but beyond the last weak rays of sunlight that washed in, he could see nothing inside. Something was most definitely wrong…

_What was that?_ He spun about on his heel as he heard a noise behind him. There it was again, a dull thud in the distance, like something heavy being dropped to the floor. Sasuke's pulsed quickened suddenly and the hair on the back of his neck stood up. He contemplated making a run for it. But where would he go? The Uchihas were in charge of the police force, so if there were a problem here, they'd already know about it. Wait…he could go back to the academy! Surely some of the teachers would still be there, doing work. Turning towards the main gates, Sasuke froze as a thought occurred to him. If there was trouble, he didn't want to be anywhere nearby. On the other hand, Sasuke realized, his eyes widening, mother and father were at home…

He hesitated briefly, his choice hanging in the air. His father's words ran through his mind. _'"As expected of my child." Tou-san would not expect his child to run away scared."_ Turning from the gates, Sasuke clenched his fist and strode quickly towards his home. A minute later, however, his newfound bravery left him. He turned the corner near his house and froze.

"U-uncle? Auntie…?" On the ground before him in a pool of their own still-warm blood, lay the mangled bodies of his father's brother and his wife.

Sasuke stumbled backward in horror. The area around him was littered with kunai and shuriken, and he could see more bodies that he recognized as members of the police force who worked with his father. Trembling, Sasuke picked his way around the corpses, trying desperately not to look at them as he broke into a sprint. _'Kaa-san…Tou-san…'_

Slowly, he crept into his house and called out softly to his parents, shivering when he received no response. Cautiously he moved through the house, checking in each room. They weren't there. The sun was completely gone now, and the house was barely lit by the moon that was slowly rising overhead. Sasuke leaned against a doorframe as his mind raced, trying to think of what to do, when he heard it. Bolting upright, he strained his ears for the sound. Yes, there it was again, coming from somewhere at the other end of the house. The sounds of a fight.

Rushing outside, Sasuke dashed toward the sound and found himself in front of the family dojo. The sounds were stronger now. They were definitely coming from inside. Placing one hand on the handle, the small boy froze, unable to open the door. Glancing down at the disobedient hand, he saw that it was trembling badly. He was scared. If he ran into a fight like that, he would be killed in an instant. But his parents…were in there. Somehow he knew it. His mother and father were in there, and he had to help them. But what could he do? Swallowing back his terror, he struggled with himself, wishing for some sign to answer his question.

His wish was granted instantly. From the other side of the door, Sasuke heard his mother scream.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as his whole body reacted to the cry. He inhaled sharply and forgot how to breathe, his chest feeling as if it would burst. Almost on their own, his hands clutched the large metal handles on the door in a white knuckled grip. Sasuke noticed how strangely cold they seemed. Pushing with all his strength, the young Uchiha flung open the impossibly heavy wooden doors, just in time to see his older brother stab a katana through their father's chest.

An eternity passed as his father's body lifelessly slumped to the floor, sword still protruding from him. Slowly, with his last remaining strength, he forced his head up to stare into the cold, unfeeling eyes of his child for which he had once held such hope. In a barely audible whisper, his pale lips struggled to speak. "I…ta…chi…"

Time came rushing back to him as Sasuke watched his father's go limp. His anguished cry of "Tou-san!" was drowned out by his mother's scream.

"SASUKE! RUN!" Before he could think to move, Itachi appeared before him.

"You're early."

His fist connected with Sasuke's gut. The younger boy fell to the ground, wheezing and gasping for air as his mother screamed in the background. Itachi sauntered over to the distressed woman and smirked down at her. "I'd be quiet if I were you. It will make this much easier." Mikoto scrambled backwards, fumbling behind her for something, _anything,_ to protect herself with. Her hand touched the wall and she gasped, pressing herself against it as she stared fearfully up at her eldest son as he advanced upon the powerless woman.

"Poor mother. You must feel so helpless right now, don't you? I've killed the police, I've murdered your beloved husband, and now even your pathetic son has failed to help you." He crouched in front of her, smiling nastily. "There's no one left to save you."

"K-kaa-san!" Sasuke called feebly, struggling to get up. There a dull thud as a shuriken embedded itself in the ground an inch from his nose. Sasuke froze in terror; he hadn't even seen his brother move.

"You'd best stay where you are, little brother. Wait your turn." Itachi focused his attention back to the woman in front of him. "See how pitiful your little boy is? Can't even protect his beloved Kaa-san." He smirked and Mikoto shivered in terror. "Do you see what's going to happen now? I've slaughtered your clan. I've already taken out any of the shinobi who would try to stop me, and I've murdered your husband. And now I'm going to kill you. Once I'm done with that, I'll go through and make sure that every last Uchiha is dead. Then I'm going to leave this wretched village forever."

"But don't worry, dear mother. For you can rest peacefully knowing that your _precious_ little Sasuke will live. Because it's not going to end here. No…when I'm done with the clan, I will leave him alive, so that one day he will be able to hunt me down. And hunt me down he shall." Itachi reached to his kunai holster as he spoke. "And in the end when he finally comes to me, comes to avenge you all, consumed by his hatred and buried in the darkness, _then_, only then …" He trailed off, slipping a kunai out of the pouch before continuing. "…then shall end the final legacy of this…pathetic…" His hand raised, kunai in his grip. "…_clan_."

He grinned sadistically, watching her eyes as they filled with tears, staring intently into his own as if pleading. He saw it then, a single instant. A flash of shock went through her, a tiny gasp as she stared at him…no…_behind him_…

Itachi froze. His smile faded and his mouth struggled to form words, but all that came out was a wet garbled mess. With a great effort, he forced his head to turn as much as he could. His eyes widened as he choked out the words. "S-Sasuke…you…b-bas…t-tard…"

Behind the Uchiha prodigy, trembling uncontrollably, stood his weak, pathetic younger brother, hand still gripped on the shuriken embedded in the back of Itachi's neck.

Sasuke flinched violently as he wrenched the shuriken from his brother's neck, letting out a dry sob as Itachi gasped and blood poured from the wound. Itachi's eyes burned with rage as he reached towards the small boy furiously. "Y-you…!" Before he could reach him, Sasuke gave a strangled cry and drove the ninja star deep into the older boy's throat. Itachi lurched backward, clawing at the weapon in his gullet. Sasuke stumbled backward, tripping over his father's body and staring wide-eyed at his brother.

Itachi was gasping for air now, breath coming in short bursts. He staggered forward again and coughed wetly, blood trickling from his mouth. The red liquid poured from the wounds and splattered his clothes as he stumbled towards Sasuke. His legs shook beneath him and then gave way at last. He dropped face first to the floor, his chest laboring for air. Blood pooled beneath him as he twisted his face to look up at his trembling brother for the last time.

"F-foolish…"

Sasuke stared into his eyes, those same eyes that once smiled with such kindness at him, the eyes of his dear older brother, as the Sharingan disappeared and the last spark of life faded away.

Silence filled the room. Mikoto didn't dare to move or breathe as she gaped at the unmoving bodies of her two sons. Then Sasuke slowly, unbearably slowly, raised the hand that had held the shuriken. There was a deep gash in his palm where the star had cut into his hand, and he gazed in awe and revulsion as his own blood mingled with that of his brother's. The blood that _he_ had spilled.

He screamed.

He flailed and clutched at his bloody hand, sobbing wildly and screaming at the top of his lungs. There was blood everywhere, on the floor and on the wall and in his clothes and hair and on his hands and his brother's hands as he screamed. He vaguely notices the feel of his mother's arms as they wrapped around him, weeping into his hair as she held him tightly to her. He distantly hears people coming, the remaining members of the clan who had managed to call for help from the local shinobi. He hears people crying and praying and thanking Kami-sama for the death of the murderer. Through all of this he screams and screams in his mother's arms, staring at his brother's eyes staring at him, and in the end he doesn't remember when he finally stopped screaming.

1-2-3

A few days later, a massive funeral was held for the Uchiha clan. The whole village attended, clothed in black. The Uchiha's burial plot was large and befitting their prestigious family, but even so it was crowded with the bodies of the slain. Pictures of the deceased sat in frames and flowers lay humbly nearby on every grave. Everyone noticed the absence of one tombstone, but no one commented. The body of Uchiha Itachi had been taken away and destroyed by a special ANBU team the night of the slaughter, and it was classified information as to how or where, though no one really cared to know anyway.

Standing at the front of the mourning procession was the small group of survivors, mostly women and children whom Itachi had been planning to exterminate quietly after he had defeated the main resistance. Every one of them wept and grieved the loss of their family and friends. At the head of the group stood Uchiha Mikoto, clutching her youngest – no, her only - son's limp hand. She stared at her husband's name on the tombstone sorrowfully, reading it over and over to herself as the village paid their respects to the fallen.

Sasuke stood silently beside her. He stared blankly at the graves in front of him, not really seeing them, not really believing it had all happened. Ever since the incident he had seemed disconnected from everything. He would spend hours lying on his bed staring at the ceiling, and he hadn't spoken a word to anyone in days. His mother glanced down at him and she bit her lower lip, wondering if there was anything she could say, or if anything she did say could reach him. She settled for tightening her grip on his hand, and tears stung the corners of her eyes as felt the rough bandages against her skin.

* * *

Wheee! I mean...poor, poor Sasuke-chan.

I don't know how far I'm gonna go with this story, but there's definately gonna beheaping spoonful ofemotional scarring for all of team seven, throw in a bit of Resentful!Hinata, and bake it at 350 degrees for a half an hour or until golden brown...oh wait, wrong cue card...Basically I'm gonna just screw up their pasts, and see how the series would be different with the mental trauma. Till next time!


End file.
